What Killed Detroit (Livonia, Dearborn, Dearborn Heights: real estate, for sale, work)

[Trident]

St. Louis 4 games to 1.

[Justabystander]

What I think might not have killed, but has crippled Detroit (I'm from Chicago) is the lack of public rail transportation. The people mover is ridiculous, I am normally the only one on the thing when I have to go to my destination from my hotel. No trains to the suburbs, and to the neighborhoods, makes revitalization of neighborhoods in the city near impossible, and makes those areas isolated and desolate, with little hope of coming back. The auto industry in Detroit did a tremendous disservice to the city by pulling those trolleys apart that once existed in Detroit. I know that there are other issues now in the city, but reliance on the auto has hastened the demise of the city proper, and hastened the flight that occurred to the suburbs.

[CTownNative]

The Midwest and NorthEast are the worst places for racial segragation,so forced busing didn't accomplish anything.But there was other factors to the destruction of Midwest cities like the closing down of steel mills,and other factories,plus bad government that doesn't know how to run things.

[jeffncandace]

Originally Posted by Justabystander

What I think might not have killed, but has crippled Detroit (I'm from Chicago) is the lack of public rail transportation. The people mover is ridiculous, I am normally the only one on the thing when I have to go to my destination from my hotel. No trains to the suburbs, and to the neighborhoods, makes revitalization of neighborhoods in the city near impossible, and makes those areas isolated and desolate, with little hope of coming back. The auto industry in Detroit did a tremendous disservice to the city by pulling those trolleys apart that once existed in Detroit. I know that there are other issues now in the city, but reliance on the auto has hastened the demise of the city proper, and hastened the flight that occurred to the suburbs.

I agree with this. GM bought up the inner city rail systems decades ago in many major US cities only to dismantle them so as to encourage every one to by a GM! Thanks for the huge mess GM!!!

[bharper]

You guys are all being foolish, Detroit is what it is now because people continue to care more about themselves than giving back to the community. People today need to put more of their time and money back into their community. If you guys check your facts detroit has more than a billion dollars in spending power, it's just that all that money isnt going back to Detroit. Ride down any street you see 20-50,000 cars and 20,000 houses. Its not that the houses are bad theyre just not kept up properly. Another point even if people do move out of detroit were do you think the drug dealers are going theyre not just setting up shop in detroit. Do me a favor take your deteriorating high priced cars and put that money into your city.

[jjbradleynyc]

Detroit's reliance on the automobile industry, racial issues, and the fact that it was a large city with not a huge "draw" to it for new residents are starters. Plus, the weather doesn't help. I'd say the city will "stabilize" in population in about 20-25 years. It still has a couple hundred thousand people to drop. A "bottoming out" may be around 650-675k in the city by 2025-2030. Then, hopefully it will be able to stabilize itself.

[Blue Grass Fever]

Originally Posted by Justabystander

What I think might not have killed, but has crippled Detroit (I'm from Chicago) is the lack of public rail transportation. The people mover is ridiculous, I am normally the only one on the thing when I have to go to my destination from my hotel. No trains to the suburbs, and to the neighborhoods, makes revitalization of neighborhoods in the city near impossible, and makes those areas isolated and desolate, with little hope of coming back. The auto industry in Detroit did a tremendous disservice to the city by pulling those trolleys apart that once existed in Detroit. I know that there are other issues now in the city, but reliance on the auto has hastened the demise of the city proper, and hastened the flight that occurred to the suburbs.

I was just about to post this opinion....

I tend to believe that no integrated rail/subway system to the core of the city along with many other things help 'killed Detroit.

I remember reading an old article when GM was buying up the trolley system 'back-in-the-day' when the automobile boom was in its' infacy; it was just GM's way of buying out the competition. That attitude (mass transportation=competition) from the Big 3 found its way into politics as well.

[Jake1256]

car industry

[and the]

Some of you may find this interesting. Those of you who lived through it will just find it redundant.

DLC: Mandate For Anarchy by Tamar Jacoby

[SlowWalk]

This is my first post here... I think there are many factors:

After "The War", the city was already beginning to decline. Wartime industry was outside the city limits. When veteran's returned, they wanted more "freedom" from the city's confines. As business came and went, the city NEVER tried to save declining neighborhoods by controlling disposition of abandoned buildings, even when they brought down entire neighborhoods. For example: The closed factories/warehouses on Detroit's large waterfronts, the Packard plant abandoned since 1957, and before that, Ford's numerous abandoned plants. People simply moved away.

Accelerating the exudus, Detroit's population decrease correlates directly with the construction of I-75 through the middle of the city, giving access to Detroit residents to realizes their dream of more space. More business and money leaves the city.

With the decline of capital, tensions arise in the form of racial mistrust. Instead of recognizing the problems and taking action, Detroit's elected managers decided to take advantage of the strife for their own gain and actually fuel the flames in order to benefit themselves. Most notably, Mayor Coleman Young and now, Mayor Kwami Kilpatrick.

The city is now improving but, this is an example of what Detroit must overcome: I heard an interview a committee member to chose the next Olympic city. Initially, Detroit was a front runner due to its location near an international border and access shoreline. However, the committe grew distrustful of Detroit's City Council's "Turf Politics" and quickly eliminated Detroit from the process.

So, that's where it stands. Shorelines covered with abandoned warehouses, politician's getting in office for being "blacker" than their opponents, and still, noone understands what the real problems are. Even now, they have to idea what to do with landmarks. The train station and Tiger Stadium are two examples.